Actually, while Paul has the right first step, I'd back up a bit.
Technically, the answer is yes, a professional developer could do what you want and make the program that you describe. I strongly suggest that you not do it this way.
Java was design to be, and still is, device independent and operating system independent. Lab devices are, by their nature, very specialized hardware. Just a few years ago, they usually came with dedicated hardware
cards that you install in your PC, and use special cables. More modern gear often connects using USB or similar connections, but even then, you have to have fairly detailed knowledge of how you talk to the device, how the data is formatted, etc.
It is not at all like just plugging an iPod into your PC.
To begin any design, you have to understand how the manufacturer expects you to talk to the device. What cables, device drivers, APIs, languages supported, etc. You can find that from the technical manuals that came with the device, or perhaps from the manufacturer's website.
You need to understand more about the specifics of the device, exactly, before
you should proceed.
I sure would not pick this as a suitable assignment for a greenhorn.
I would also split the effort into parts, with
data capture from device to PCdata storing/loggin on PClive data sharing on the pc to later parts in this listGUI display of live dataanalysis algorthms, graphing, etc.others...
By breaking it apart, you will have smaller modules to debug independantly. If you make one great effort to do it all at once, you may bite off too much to chew.
)? My daughter has used it to program a wide variety of lab equipment. 
